Mathematics
by Sorrow has a Human Heart
Summary: AU High School one-shot, with silly jealousy as the theme. Side-effects to Paralai fans may include nausea, diarrhea, chills, fever, aches, vomiting, rashes, and rarely, a severe heart arrhythmia. Please consult Dr.P. before reading. *Yunalai FTW!*


**A/N: This will be the only, and I mean ONLY high school-based AU I ever do. Ever. I swear. Don't look at me like that. :P In other news, I was totally disrespectful to Tidus in this. He doesn't even make an appearance...**

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"**Mathematics"**

Yuna quickly scribbled down the last answer to her Pre-Calculus homework just as the bell rang. Alerted students lingering in the hallways scurried to class, already tardy. Quickly putting her papers in order and closing the book, she once again feigned complete preparation for the day's math studies. And, it wasn't even that she was embarrassed to be seen by the teacher rushing to get the assignment done. Procrastinator she might be, but her grades were nearly perfect. The true reason for her nervous shuffling was the pretty, tan-skinned, fair-haired, quiet boy who walked through the door just as the bell rang, like clockwork.

He never noticed her peripheral, studious stares. As always, he walked to his seat two places ahead of her. Functions and logarithms were forgotten in those few precious seconds while she analyzed all of the small, lovely details she so adored about him. They were so many- the shape of his hands, the dexterous movements of his fingers as he sifted through the paperwork in his backpack for his math book, the angle of his jaw and eyes; the feathery, silky look of his hair; his proud height, perfectly contrasted by his unassuming carriage; the beautiful blend of earth tones between his eyes and dark complexion.

Sighing heavily, Yuna continued to glance up at him from time to time, dividing her attention between him and the notes the teacher scrawled all over the black board.

"Yuna, can you answer this?" she was unexpectedly called upon for a new sample problem.

Yuna blushed violently, breaking into a sweat from embarrassment and shame. She'd always managed to prioritize each moment of this class between studying math and studying Baralai. This was the first time she'd really messed up.

"U-um, I-I'm sorry. I-I spaced out, or something..."

The teacher paused in momentary surprise that Yuna, one of the top students, had failed to pay attention. Nevertheless, the consequences would have to be the same. "And I'm sorry to hear that. I'll be expecting you to do three extra problems on tonight's assignment, understood?" Searching the class again for a correct answer, "Baralai, do you know the solution?"

"I'm not entirely sure, but I believe the function of x is -2.33."

Yuna grinned victoriously, although not for herself, while the teacher proceeded to explain why he was right. As nice as it was to be able to understand it all herself, she reveled in how fast Baralai could answer such complex problem. The boy was practically a human calculator. Then, suddenly, her minuscule, vicarious win was crushed when Paine, Baralai's best friend and next door neighbor walked in a full five minutes late. And Yuna had begun to believe that she'd be able to enjoy this math class fantasy in peace, just this once.

Gritting her teeth, Yuna pressed her pencil too hard against her notebook, snapping the lead in half. So tempting it was to throw the remains at Paine's block-shaped head, but that would accomplish nothing but detention time. Rumors were all over the place about Baralai and Paine. One time, Yuna even had the misfortune of overhearing Gippal, his other best friend, tell him to "make your move already". Her blood had run cold for that entire afternoon. Was it really possible that Baralai thought of Paine that way?

Clenching the pencil in a tightened fist, Yuna endured the horrid onslaught of reasons why there might be something between them. Besides being neighbors, they were friends since childhood, always tried to get classes together, and always sat together at lunch. Wistfully, Yuna returned full attention to her class work. There was nothing to be gained by missing out on a lesson to fuel her jealousy.

"Paine, can I speak to you for a moment?" the teacher called for her after he sat down at his desk.

Still distracted and curious, Yuna strained to hear what kind of trouble Paine would get into for her tardiness this time.

"I was in the bathroom..." Pain defiantly groaned.

"While I understand that, you know full well that you must stop here first for a pass. Also, and more importantly, we need to discuss your lack of progress...missing assignments...might not be able to keep this class...must improve shortly..." the teacher spoke too quietly for Yuna to make everything out, but it was clear that Paine was in deep.

"Ugh. Forget it." Paine snapped, and stomped out of the class, guaranteeing her at least a week's worth of detentions.

Baralai breathed a soft, exasperated sigh, pressing his hand to his forehead in frustration. Yuna almost felt guilty, but it was obvious that he was disappointed in Paine's little outburst. She couldn't help but laugh for joy on the inside. For now, this would at least let her study in peace. And maybe, just maybe she'd get up the nerve to talk to him after class.

Peace. That was a joke. Who was she kidding? All of her best friends considered Paine to be part of the group. Even her cousin and closest friend, Rikku, all too often tried to get her to hang out with Paine. Honestly, she didn't have the slightest right to hold anything against her; Paine had never done anything wrong. But, why oh why did she so apparently have to have her eyes set on Baralai?

Finally, the bell rang, and Yuna piled her books back into her bag, pouting miserably. At least it was seventh period, the last class of the day. She could drag her feet if she wanted to. Hoisting her back pack up onto her shoulders, she stepped out the door, and Rikku immediately pounced on her.

"Yunie-! Oh no. You have that look on your face again." Rikku sighed.

"Look? What look? I'm fine."

"Uh-huh. Sure. Lemme guess. You spent almost all of math class despairing and obsessing about how you have no chance in the whole wide world with Baralai, right? Yunie, why not just say something?"

"I-maybe I don't want to know. I don't want to find out I'm right, and that Baralai is with Paine already. Can't I just be happy with looking?"

"But, that's the thing. You're not happy. At all. In fact, I'm going to do something about it right now. Heeey! Baralai!"

"Rikku, no!" Yuna pounded her head against the wall, burning up in panic, and then slowly started inching away. But, Rikku snagged the strap of her back pack and kept her from going.

"Rikku, Yuna. Hello." Baralai turned from his normal trek down the hall to talk with the cousins.

"Hiya! Yunie here has something she's just been itching to tell you."

"No, no. I don't. Don't listen to her. She's just-just messing with us. Yeah." Yuna stammered, now frozen in place.

Baralai smirked lopsidedly, shaking his head in half-amusement. "Don't worry about this, Rikku. I think I get it. Yuna, come with me to the library?"

"Alrighty, " Rikku agreed, " Behave you two." she giggled before darting down the hall to other friends. "Lulu-lu! Painey-Paine! Wait up!"

Fixing her eyes to the floor and fidgeting with her necklace, Yuna mumbled, "Are you sure you don't want to go with them?"

"Not today," Baralai replied, grabbing her free hand, "I prefer quieter company sometimes."

Yuna's thoughts and heart raced as she kept stride with him up the stairs and halfway down the hall to the library. Neither spoke, but he seemed markedly pensive, planning just what to do or say when they arrived. Gentlemanly, he held the door open for her and followed her to a small research desk in the back of the room.

"I'm truly surprised that you'd-."

"That I'd want to spend a moment with you?" Baralai stole her words.

"Um, yes, actually. Aren't you and Paine, you know..."

Baralai plopped tiredly down into one of the chairs. Yuna was so smart; the top student in Pre-Calculus and almost every other class she took. Generosity and kindness were well within her grasp. She volunteered to help with classes for the mentally impaired after school, rather than some more entertaining activities or clubs, or even just hanging out with friends. Yet, for whatever reason, she failed miserably when it came to communicating her emotions. At lunch, she often only spoke when addressed, carefully regarding others from the corners of her eyes. If Rikku or Lulu approached her alone, she seemed to do alright, though.

And, she was always watching him, although she probably assumed that he didn't see it. She would light up when he first walked into her presence, but then her face would twist into the most bratty, spoiled, childish scowl the moment Paine joined him, or even dared to greet him in her presence. Of all her expressions, he genuinely despised that one, because it warped her natural, gentle beauty into something perverse, vile, and cruel.

"I am Paine's tutor, as well as her friend, but we are not together, regardless of the rumors. She...has a lot of potential, but also some inexorable anger issues that tend to distract her from her studies. Frankly, she's probably more gifted than either one of us beneath that, but she requires patient help to harness it." Baralai explained, still somewhat frustrated with Paine's earlier blow-up. She'd been doing so well.

Yuna blinked, feeling relieved, horrified, and guilty all at once. All of the miserable, dark, negative thoughts she'd directed at Paine had been absolutely futile and undeserved. The stern, calculating look on Baralai's face wasn't helping; he was clearly displeased with her.

"I guess I never realized. I-"

"You watch me anytime I'm even close to your line of sight. It's flattering, but the moment Paine shows up, it's like you turn into something else. I can think of reason upon reason of why I'd agree to see you, but _that_ gives me pause, Yuna."

Nerves jolted by Baralai's brash honesty, Yuna finally settled into the seat on the other side of the table. Deep down, she'd always considered herself above the superficiality that permeated the high-school atmosphere, above the hazing and ill-informed judgment. Yet, Baralai had just single-handedly convicted her of that very thing she so hated. Ashamed, Yuna mentally lashed out at herself for relying upon rumors and poorly conceived fantasies. At the very least, she could have asked their mutual friends for the truth without too much embarrassment. It was stupid to think of her jealousy as "sacred", but that was how she always wound up treating it.

Laying her head down on the table, she hid her face in her arms. "I'm sorry," Although words could never extinguish the personal flaw, it was all she could think to do, "I won't bother you anymore." Blinking fast and holding her breath, Yuna emerged from her curled up hiding place, and gathered her things again. She had to leave, to run, to go anywhere but here. She'd lost to no one, gotten carried away, self-sabotaged her own designs, and right now, she simply couldn't handle it. He wouldn't reject her, though, because she'd do it for him. Maybe it would sting less that way.

But, just as she was about to walk away, Baralai latched onto her arm, restraining her. Eyes narrowed in genuine concern, he pulled her back, and rose to study her ashen face. "Stop thinking, for a moment." It was the oddest thing he'd ever requested of anyone. Yet, Yuna's most formidable strength was also her most dire, crippling weakness. She could analyze cause and effect relationships in mere milliseconds, processing the connections with light-speed thought. In school, it made her gifted; in life, it often led her to nightmarish and unrealistically pessimistic conclusions with too little information. Instead, the gaps and holes were filled in with worst-case assumptions, some that he'd have to negate this time. "I never said you bothered me." With all he'd let on that he knew of her, how didn't it occur to her that he'd been watching her, too?

"Still, I know that I do..." Yuna murmured dejectedly.

"Wrong," Baralai insisted, "but before you go, I only ask that you tell me what you've really wanted to say."

"I can't." she whined meekly.

"You can. And you will, if you want to know anything." Baralai pushed.

Yuna wanted to curl up into a tiny little ball and disappear. There was just no way this could end nicely, but the words practically forced themselves through her mouth. "I..I like you. I really, really like you. Um, well, possibly more..." Images of scornful laughter and shameful rejections filled her mind. She felt like he was tenderizing her heart like meat, only to be eaten alive and still beating. Nothing could be crueler.

Grinning slyly, Baralai pulled Yuna even closer, and whispered, "Then, it seems we have much more to discuss. The feeling is mutual."

Yuna's cold, living nightmare suddenly lifted to timorous shock. That was not what she'd expected at all. A little shaky, she wrapped her arms around him in response to his embrace. Before her still-racing mind could comprehend what was transpiring between them, he'd lightly kissed her lips. "Baralai?" she mumbled his name, confused.

"Shall I walk you home? The buses have already left by now. Also, I recall that PDA is still not _appreciated_ at school, even after hours." Baralai half-joked, gently tucking tendrils of hair behind her ears, and smoothing away stray tears that still lingered on her face.

"Y-yes, I'd like that...would you mind staying over for a little while?"

"Not at all."

At the other end of the hall, Gippal exited the gymnasium, taking a quick break from basketball practice. Stopping in his path to the restrooms, he laughed to himself at who he saw emerge from the library. "Baralai finally took my advice. Nice. Wonder who I should tell first?"


End file.
